State attorney asks to reassign case of Lee County judge caught in prostitution sting

The State Attorney’s Office for the 20th Judicial Circuit said it will request the governor's office reassign the solicitation and resisting arrest case against Judge Jay B. Rosman.

Rosman, 64, was arrested Friday along with five other men during a prostitution sting at a Naples hotel by the Naples Police Department. He was later released on $4,000 bond and will be arraigned in Collier County Court on March 7.

A Naples police report said the men, including Rosman, negotiated to pay an undercover officer between $150 and $300 for sex acts.

The commission is an independent agency created by the Florida Constitution to investigate misconduct by Florida state judges.

The commission's investigative panel, after getting a complaint that a judge is guilty of failure to perform judicial duties, or conduct unbecoming a member of the judiciary, or conduct violating the Code of Judicial Conduct, may investigate to determine whether to file formal charges.

As of Monday, no such charges have been filed against Rosman.

In addition to the commission's process, the Florida House of Representatives can impeach a judge, who then can be tried for misconduct in the Florida Senate.

Other than impeachment, discipline can be meted out only by the commission and must be approved by the Florida Supreme Court.